Display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus includes a substrate on which a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the central area are arranged. The central area includes a display area. The display apparatus further includes: at least one insulation pattern that is formed in the peripheral area; a groove from which a material for forming the insulation pattern is removed and that is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern; and at least one insulating layer that is interposed between the insulation pattern and the substrate. The groove is located in the at least one insulating layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/701,120, filed Sep. 11, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/606,950, filed Jan. 27, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,758,872, which claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2014-0086881, filed on Jul. 10, 2014, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the entire contents of both of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a displayapparatus and a method of manufacturing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, display apparatuses are variously used. Also, as the displayapparatuses have evolved to have a small thickness and a light weight, ausage range of the display apparatuses has become wider.

In particular, recently, display apparatuses have been replaced withportable thin flat panel display apparatuses.

The thin display apparatus has a plurality of various films. However,when an external force is applied to the thin display apparatus, or dueto a process condition during the manufacture of the thin displayapparatus, the various films may be damaged or may serve as a path ofcrack propagation.

In particular, when display apparatuses are formed from one mothersubstrate, the manufacturing process may include a process of cuttingthe mother substrate so as to separate the display apparatuses from eachother.

During the cutting process, a crack may occur in the films of thedisplay apparatus, and the films may serve as a path of crackpropagation.

Accordingly, durability of the display apparatus may be affected.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present invention include a displayapparatus and a method of manufacturing the same.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description to thosewith ordinary skill in the art, or may be learned by practice of thepresented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a displayapparatus includes a substrate having a central area and a peripheralarea adjacent to the central area, wherein the central area includes adisplay area. The display apparatus further includes an insulationpattern at the peripheral area; a groove adjacent to the insulationpattern; and at least one insulating layer interposed between theinsulation pattern and the substrate, wherein the groove is located atthe at least one insulating layer. A material for forming the insulationpattern may have been removed from the groove, such that the groove isformed adjacent to the insulation pattern.

The groove may be adjacent to at least one edge of the substrate.

The groove may be adjacent to all edges of the substrate.

The insulation pattern may be spaced from at least one edge of thesubstrate. Here the insulation pattern may be separate from the at leastone edge of the substrate.

The at least one insulating layer may be formed as a single layer.

The at least one insulating layer may be formed of a plurality ofstacked layers.

The at least one insulating layer may include an inorganic material.

The at least one insulating layer may include oxide, nitride, oroxynitride.

The at least one insulating layer may extend over at least a portion ofthe central area on the substrate.

The at least one insulating layer may extend over at least a portion ofthe display area on the substrate.

The at least one insulating layer may completely cover a top surface ofthe substrate.

The at least one insulating layer may expose a portion of a top surfaceof the substrate.

The insulation pattern may extend lengthwise in parallel to at least oneedge of the substrate.

A plurality of the insulation patterns that are spaced from each othermay be formed in one direction, and the groove may be located betweenthe insulation patterns that are adjacent to each other.

A plurality of the insulation patterns may be formed in anotherdirection that crosses the one direction.

At least one edge of the substrate may be defined by a cutting line.

The insulation pattern may be formed as multiple layers.

The insulation pattern may be formed of an inorganic material.

The insulation pattern may include a central insulation pattern and aperipheral insulation pattern around the central insulation pattern,wherein a width of the central insulation pattern may be different froma width of the peripheral insulation pattern.

The width of the central insulation pattern may be greater than thewidth of the peripheral insulation pattern.

The insulation pattern may be formed as an island pattern.

The insulation pattern may have a curved edge.

The insulation pattern may have a circular-arc edge, a round edge, or anoval edge.

The display apparatus may further include a central insulating layerformed in the central area on the substrate.

The insulation pattern and the central insulating layer may be formed ofthe same or substantially the same material.

A portion of the central insulating layer may extend over a portion ofthe peripheral area.

The groove may be located between the central insulating layer and theinsulation pattern.

The substrate may include an organic material.

The substrate may be formed as multiple layers.

The substrate may include a first layer including an organic material, asecond layer including an organic material, and an insertion layerlocated between the first layer and the second layer.

The display apparatus may further include at least one conductivepattern that is located in the groove and may contact a top surface or aside surface of the insulation pattern.

The at least one conductive pattern may include a pad unit.

The display apparatus may further include a cover layer that is formedon the insulation pattern.

The cover layer may include an organic material.

The insulation pattern may include a first direction insulation patternextending along a first direction, and a second direction insulationpattern extending along a second direction that crosses the firstdirection.

The first direction insulation pattern may be connected to the seconddirection insulation pattern.

The first direction insulation pattern and the second directioninsulation pattern may surround the display area.

The first direction insulation pattern and the second directioninsulation pattern may be connected to each other in a one-to-one mannerand may surround the display area.

The first direction insulation pattern and the second directioninsulation pattern may be connected to each other at their ends.

A plurality of the first direction insulation patterns and a pluralityof the second direction insulation patterns may be formed, and two ormore first direction insulation patterns from among the plurality of thefirst direction insulation patterns may be connected to one seconddirection insulation pattern from among the plurality of the seconddirection insulation patterns.

The one second direction insulation pattern that is connected to the twoor more first direction insulation patterns from among the plurality ofthe first direction insulation patterns may be located nearest to anedge of the substrate from among the second direction insulationpatterns.

The one second direction insulation pattern that is connected to the twoor more first direction insulation patterns may be located closer to thedisplay area, compared to another second direction insulation patternthat is located nearest to an edge of the substrate from among thesecond direction insulation patterns.

One or more first direction insulation patterns from among the pluralityof the first direction insulation patterns may not be connected to theplurality of the second direction insulation patterns.

A plurality of the first direction insulation patterns and a pluralityof the second direction insulation patterns may be formed, and two ormore second direction insulation patterns from among the plurality ofthe second direction insulation patterns may be connected to one firstdirection insulation pattern from among the plurality of the firstdirection insulation patterns.

The one first direction insulation pattern that is connected to the twoor more second direction insulation patterns may be located nearest toan edge of the substrate.

The one first direction insulation pattern that is connected to the twoor more second direction insulation patterns may be located closer tothe display area, compared to another first direction insulation patternthat is located nearest to an edge of the substrate from among the firstdirection insulation patterns.

One or more second direction insulation patterns from among theplurality of the second direction insulation patterns may not beconnected to the plurality of the first direction insulation patterns.

The insulation pattern may further include a connection insulationpattern that connects the first direction insulation pattern and thesecond direction insulation pattern.

The connection insulation pattern may not be parallel to the firstdirection and the second direction.

The display apparatus may further include at last one thin-filmtransistor (TFT) that is formed at the central area of the substrate.The TFT may include an active layer, a gate electrode, a sourceelectrode, and a drain electrode. At least one adjacent insulating layermay be formed adjacent to at least one of the active layer, the gateelectrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode, and theinsulation pattern and the at least one adjacent insulating layer may beformed of the same or substantially the same material.

The at least one insulating layer may be formed between the substrateand the at least one TFT.

The at least one adjacent insulating layer may be at least one of a gateinsulating layer for insulating the gate electrode from the activelayer, and an interlayer insulating layer for insulating the source anddrain electrodes from the gate electrode.

The display apparatus may further include a passivation layer forcovering the at least one TFT, and the passivation layer may be formedon the insulation pattern.

The display apparatus may further include a first electrode that iselectrically connected to the at least one TFT and a pixel defininglayer that covers a portion of the first electrode and defines a pixelarea, wherein the pixel defining layer is formed on the insulationpattern.

The display apparatus may further include a second electrode that facesthe first electrode, and an intermediate layer that is located betweenthe first electrode and the second electrode. The intermediate layer mayinclude an organic emission layer.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a methodof manufacturing a display apparatus including a substrate on which acentral area and a peripheral area located adjacent to the central areaare arranged, is provided. The central area includes a display area. Themethod includes: forming at least one insulation pattern in theperipheral area; forming a groove adjacent to the at least oneinsulation pattern; and forming at least one insulating layer betweenthe at least one insulation pattern and the substrate, wherein thegroove is located at the at least one insulating layer. The groove maybe formed by removing a material for forming the at least one insulationpattern.

The method may further include forming a central insulating layer at thecentral area of the substrate, and the at least one insulation patternand the central insulating layer may be formed of the same orsubstantially the same material.

The at least one insulation pattern and the central insulating layer maybe concurrently formed.

The at least one insulating layer may be formed at the peripheral areaand the central area.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a methodof manufacturing a display apparatus by using a mother substrate isprovided. The method includes: cutting the mother substrate along acutting line, wherein the display apparatus includes a central area anda peripheral area located adjacent to the central area, the central areaincluding a display area; an insulation pattern formed at the peripheralarea; a groove adjacent to the insulation pattern; and at least oneinsulating layer formed between the insulation pattern and thesubstrate, wherein the groove is located at the at least one insulatinglayer, and wherein the cutting line corresponds to the groove and isseparated from the insulation pattern. The groove may be formed byremoving a material for forming the insulation pattern, such that thegroove is adjacent to the insulation pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a magnified view of a portion D of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion D, taken alongthe line III-Ill of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate modified examples of the portion D of FIG.3;

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate modified examples of the portion D of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a magnified view of a portion E of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion E, taken alongthe line XI-XI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 illustrates a modified example of the portion E of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a magnified view of a portion F of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a magnified view of a portion G of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion G, taken alongthe line XVII-XVII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 illustrates a modified example of the portion G of FIG. 17;

FIGS. 19, 20, 21, and 22 illustrate modified examples of FIGS. 3, 11,18, and 21, respectively;

FIG. 23 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 illustrates cross-sectional views of the display apparatus,taken along the lines XVI-XVI and XV-XV of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus of FIG.24;

FIG. 26 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 illustrates a magnified view of a portion K of FIG. 26;

FIGS. 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 illustrate modified examples of the portionK of FIG. 27;

FIG. 33 illustrates a plan view of a mother substrate used inmanufacturing a display apparatus, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 34 illustrates a magnified plan view of the portion M of FIG. 33;and

FIG. 35 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portion M, taken alongthe line XX-XX of FIG. 34.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As the present invention allows for various changes and numerousembodiments, example embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings anddescribed in detail in the written description. Effects and features ofthe present invention and methods of accomplishing the same may beunderstood more readily by reference to the following detaileddescription of example embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Thepresent invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forthherein.

Hereinafter, in one or more embodiments, while such terms as “first,”“second,” etc., may be used, but such components must not be limited tothe above terms, and the above terms are used only to distinguish onecomponent from another.

Hereinafter, in one or more embodiments, a singular form may includeplural forms, unless there is a particular description contrary thereto.

Hereinafter, in one or more embodiments, terms such as “comprise,”“comprising,” “include,” or “including” are used to specify existence ofa recited feature or component, not excluding the existence of one ormore other recited features or one or more other components.

Hereinafter, in one or more embodiments, it will also be understood thatwhen an element such as layer, region, or component is referred to asbeing “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element, orintervening elements such as layer, region, or component may also beinterposed therebetween. Further, when a first element is described as“coupled to” or “connected to” a second element, the first element maybe directly coupled to or directly connected to the second elementwithout any intervening elements therebetween or may be indirectly(e.g., electrically) coupled to or indirectly connected to the secondelement with one or more intervening elements interposed therebetween.

In the drawings, for convenience of description, the sizes of layers andregions are exaggerated for clarity. For example, a size and thicknessof each element may be random for convenience of description, thus, oneor more embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, in one or more embodiments, X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis maynot be limited to three axes on a rectangular coordinate system but maybe interpreted as a broad meaning including the three axes. For example,the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be perpendicular to each other or mayindicate different directions that are not perpendicular to each other.

In one or more embodiments, an order of processes may be different fromthat is described. For example, two processes that are sequentiallydescribed may be substantially simultaneously performed, or may beperformed in an opposite order to the described order.

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed below in more detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Those components that are the same or are in correspondenceare rendered the same reference numeral regardless of the figure number,and redundant explanations are omitted.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 1000 according toan embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a magnifiedview of a portion D of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectionalview of the portion D, taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the display apparatus 1000 includes asubstrate 101. The substrate 101 may include one or more of varioussuitable materials known to those skilled in the art. For example, thesubstrate 101 may be formed of a glass material, a metal material, orany suitable organic material.

In an embodiment, the substrate 101 may be a flexible substrate 101.Here, the flexible substrate 101 refers to a substrate havingflexibility that is well bent, curved, folded, and/or rolled. Theflexible substrate 101 may be formed of ultra-thin glass, metal, orplastic. For example, when plastic is used, the substrate 101 may beformed of polyimide (PI) but one or more embodiments are not limitedthereto and thus one or more of various suitable materials known tothose skilled in the art may be used.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 1000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 1000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 101. FIG. 1 illustrates one display apparatus 1000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 101 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 101, i.e., four edges of the substrate 101shown in FIG. 1, may be cutting lines CL. In other embodiments, one,two, or three of the four edges of the substrate 101 may be cuttinglines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 1000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 101 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus1000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 101 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 101, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may include at least one display device (notspecified in FIG. 1), e.g., an organic light-emitting device (OLED) fordisplaying an image. Also, a plurality of pixels may be disposed in thedisplay area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 1) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 1.) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 1) may be disposed in the pad area.

In an embodiment, at least one central insulating layer (not specifiedin FIG. 1) may be formed in the central area CA so as to prevent orsubstantially prevent moisture or impurities from penetrating into thedisplay apparatus 1000 via the substrate 101. For example, the centralinsulating layer may include an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA refers to the area around the cutting line CL andis arranged in edges of the substrate 101 along the cutting line CL.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

The first insulating layer 111 is disposed between the substrate 101 andthe insulation pattern IP and the groove GV. That is, in the peripheralarea PA, the first insulating layer 111 is formed on the substrate 101,and the insulation pattern IP and the groove GV are formed on the firstinsulating layer 111.

The first insulating layer 111 may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art. In anembodiment, the first insulating layer 111 may be formed of an inorganicmaterial. For example, the first insulating layer 111 may include oxide,nitride, or oxynitride. In more detail, the first insulating layer 111may include silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), silicon oxide (SiO₂), or siliconoxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

In an embodiment, the first insulating layer 111 may be formed to beextending to the central area CA or the display area DA. In anotherembodiment, the first insulating layer 111 may be commonly formed on thecentral area CA and the peripheral area PA of the substrate 101. Thatis, the first insulating layer 111 may be formed on an entire topsurface of the substrate 101.

In an embodiment, due to the first insulating layer 111, the top surfaceof the substrate 101 is not exposed in the peripheral area PA. That is,the first insulating layer 111 may be formed to be extending to thecutting line CL of the substrate 101.

However, one or more embodiments of the present invention are notlimited thereto, and the first insulating layer 111 may not cover thetop surface of the substrate 101 in a portion of the peripheral area PA.

The insulation pattern IP may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable materials known to those skilled in the art. For example, theinsulation pattern IP may be formed of an inorganic or organic material.In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP may be formed from the sameor substantially the same material as at least one of insulatingmaterials that may be formed in the central area CA of the substrate101. That is, as described in the above embodiment, the at least onecentral insulating layer may be formed in the central area CA so as toprevent or substantially prevent moisture or impurities from penetratinginto the display apparatus 1000 via the substrate 101, and here, theinsulation pattern IP may be formed from the same or substantially thesame material as the central insulating layer, and in anotherembodiment, the central insulating layer and the insulation pattern IPmay be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

The groove GV is located between the insulation pattern IP and thecutting line CL of the substrate 101. The groove GV is located adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 101, and the insulation patternIP is distant from the cutting line CL of the substrate 101.

The insulation pattern IP may extend lengthwise. That is, as illustratedin FIG. 2, the insulation pattern IP may have a shape that extendslengthwise in parallel to the cutting line CL of the substrate 101.Here, a length of the insulation pattern IP may vary, and thus may begreater or lesser than a length of the display area DA.

In an embodiment, although not illustrated, a plurality of theinsulation patterns IP may be disposed in (e.g., arranged along) alongitudinal direction (a Y-axis direction of FIGS. 1 and 2).

Two grooves GV are formed so that the insulation pattern IP is locatedbetween the two grooves GV. That is, the grooves GV are formed bypartially removing a material that forms the insulation pattern IP.

The groove GV includes a groove GV that is adjacent to the cutting lineCL of the substrate 101. Also, in an embodiment, the groove GV may beadjacent to all cutting lines CL of the substrate 101. That is, thegroove GV may include a groove GV that is adjacent to all edges of thesubstrate 101.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the grooveGV may include a groove GV that is adjacent to only at least one edge ofthe substrate 101

The groove GV that is adjacent to the cutting line CL of the substrate101, the groove arranged in the peripheral area PA of the displayapparatus, blocks or reduces crack propagation from the edge of thesubstrate 101. For example, the groove GV that is adjacent to thecutting line CL of the substrate 101 firstly prevents or reducespropagation of a crack that may occur on the substrate 101 when eachdisplay apparatus 1000 is cut and then is separated from the mothersubstrate.

In particular, the groove GV corresponds to a top surface of the firstinsulating layer 111 on the substrate 101. Since the first insulatinglayer 111 is formed in the groove GV that is adjacent to the insulationpattern IP, the substrate 101 may be efficiently protected, and also,the occurrence and propagation of the crack may be prevented or reduced.

Also, due to the first insulating layer 111, it is possible to preventor substantially prevent the insulation pattern IP from beingdelaminated from the substrate 101.

The insulation pattern IP is adjacent to the groove GV that is adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 101 and thus secondly preventsor substantially prevents the propagation of the crack. Also, theinsulation pattern IP improves or may improve durability of theperipheral area PA. For example, when the substrate 101 is formed of aflexible material and thus the display apparatus 1000 has flexibility,the insulation pattern IP may efficiently protect the peripheral area PAwhile a curving or bending motion occurs at the peripheral area PA.

The groove GV that is adjacent to a side of the insulation pattern IPthat is distant from the cutting line CL may block or substantiallyprevent a crack that additionally occurs or propagates.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate modified examples of the portion D of FIG.3.

First, referring to FIG. 4, the first insulating layer 111 and a secondinsulating layer 112 are disposed between the substrate 101 and theinsulation pattern IP and the groove GV. In more detail, the firstinsulating layer 111 is formed on the substrate 101, and the secondinsulating layer 112 is formed on the first insulating layer 111. Theinsulation pattern IP and the groove GV are formed on the secondinsulating layer 112.

The second insulating layer 112 may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art.

In an embodiment, the second insulating layer 112 may be formed of aninorganic material. For example, the second insulating layer 112 mayinclude oxide, nitride, or oxynitride. In more detail, the secondinsulating layer 112 may include silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), siliconoxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)).

Although not illustrated, in an embodiment, at least three insulatinglayers may be stacked between the substrate 101 and the insulationpattern IP and the groove GV.

Referring to FIG. 5, the insulation pattern IP is not a single layer butincludes multiple layers including a first layer IPa and a second layerIPb. The first layer IPa is formed on the first insulating layer 111,and the second layer IPb is formed on the first layer IPa. The firstlayer IPa and the second layer IPb may be formed of one or more ofvarious suitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art,including an organic material and an inorganic material.

In an embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb may beformed of the same or substantially the same material.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb havethe same or substantially the same width. However, the presentembodiment is not limited thereto, and thus the first layer IPa and thesecond layer IPb may have different widths or a portion of a top surfaceof the first layer IPa may not be covered by the second layer IPb.

Although not illustrated, in an embodiment, the second insulating layer112 of FIG. 4 may be further disposed in a structure shown in FIG. 5.For example, the second insulating layer 112 may be further disposedbetween the first layer IPa and the first insulating layer 111.

Referring to FIG. 6, the substrate 101 is not a single layer butincludes multiple layers including a first layer 101 a, a second layer101 b, and an insertion layer 101 c. The first layer 101 a and thesecond layer 101 b may include an organic material, and the insertionlayer 101 c may include an inorganic material. In an embodiment, thefirst layer 101 a and the second layer 101 b may include a plasticmaterial such as polyimide, and the insertion layer 101 c may includesilicon oxide.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the firstlayer 101 a and the second layer 101 b may include one or more ofvarious suitable types of same or different organic materials known tothose skilled in the art. The insertion layer 101 c may include one ormore of various suitable materials known to those skilled in the artthat are capable of functioning as a barrier, and may not have asingle-layered structure but may have a multi-layered structure.

Although not illustrated, the multi-layered structure of the substrate101 shown in FIG. 6 may be applied to one or more of the structures ofFIGS. 4 and 5.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate modified examples of the portion D of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 7, a plurality of insulation patterns IP are formed.Although FIG. 7 illustrates two insulation patterns IP, the presentembodiment is not limited thereto. That is, at least three insulationpatterns IP may be formed.

In an embodiment, the plurality of insulation patterns IP may bearranged in one direction, e.g., arranged along a width direction (anX-axis direction of FIG. 7) of the plurality of insulation patterns IP.

Also, grooves GV are formed to be adjacent to the plurality ofinsulation patterns IP.

In an embodiment, the plurality of insulation patterns IP may be formedin parallel to each other and may have a regular width (e.g., a uniformwidth). Also, the plurality of insulation patterns may have a uniformwidth or different widths according to each of areas.

Other configurations of the insulation pattern IP are the same orsubstantially the same as those that are described in the previousembodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

The plurality of insulation patterns IP and the grooves GV formedtherebetween may efficiently block or substantially prevent crackpropagation to the substrate 101 via a cutting line CL of the substrate101. That is, crack occurrence may be reduced or minimized due to agroove GV that is adjacent to a cutting line CL, i.e., an edge of thesubstrate 101, an insulation pattern IP that is adjacent to the grooveGV adjacent to the cutting line CL may block or reduce the crackoccurrence, a groove GV that is adjacent to the insulation pattern IPmay block or reduce propagation of the crack occurrence, and aninsulation pattern IP that is adjacent to the groove GV may additionallyblock or reduce the crack occurrence and the propagation of the crackoccurrence.

Referring to FIG. 8, an insulation patterns IP is formed. The insulationpatterns IP shown in FIG. 8 includes a central insulation pattern IPcand peripheral insulation patterns IPp.

The peripheral insulation patterns IPp are disposed around the centralinsulation pattern IPc. That is, the peripheral insulation patterns IPpare disposed between a cutting line CL of the substrate 101 and thecentral insulation pattern IPc, and are disposed between the centralinsulation pattern IPc and the display area (DA).

Referring to FIG. 8, two peripheral insulation patterns IPp are formedat each side of the central insulation pattern IPc, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. That is, at least three peripheralinsulation patterns IPp may be formed at each side of the centralinsulation pattern IPc.

The central insulation pattern IPc has a width W1, and each of theperipheral insulation patterns IPp has a width W2.

In an embodiment, the width W1 and the width W2 may be different fromeach other. For example, the width W1 may be greater than the width W2.

Since the width W1 of the central insulation pattern IPc is greater thanthe width W2 of the peripheral insulation pattern IPp, the crack thatmay be propagated via the peripheral insulation pattern IPp may beefficiently blocked or substantially prevented by the central insulationpattern IPc.

Also, since the width W1 and the width W2 are different from each other,when the display apparatus 1000 is bent, flexibility of the displayapparatus 1000 may be increased.

In an embodiment, the central insulation pattern IPc and the peripheralinsulation pattern IPp may be formed in parallel to each other.

Other configurations of the insulation pattern IP are the same orsubstantially the same as those that are described in the previousembodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 2000 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates amagnified view of a portion E of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 illustrates across-sectional view of the portion E, taken along the line XI-XI ofFIG. 10.

Referring to FIGS. 9 through 11, the display apparatus 2000 according tothe present embodiment includes a substrate 201. The substrate 201 mayinclude one or more of various suitable materials known to those skilledin the art. Detailed examples of the various suitable materials of thesubstrate 201 are the same or substantially the same as those describedin the previous embodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof areomitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 2000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 2000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 201. FIG. 9 illustrates one display apparatus 2000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 201 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 201, i.e., four edges of the substrate 201shown in FIG. 9, may be cutting lines CL. In an embodiment, one, two, orthree of the four edges of the substrate 201 may be cutting lines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 2000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 201 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus2000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 201 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 201, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not specifiedin FIG. 9), e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a plurality ofpixels may be arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 9) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 9) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 9) may be disposed in the pad area.

At least one insulating layer (not specified in FIG. 9) may be formed inthe central area CA so as to prevent or substantially prevent moistureor impurities from penetrating into the display apparatus 2000 via thesubstrate 201. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 11, a central insulatinglayer 220 may be formed in the central area CA on the substrate 201.

In an embodiment, the central insulating layer 220 may be formed to beextending from the central area CA to a portion of the peripheral areaPA. In another embodiment, a portion of the central insulating layer 220may be formed in a portion of the peripheral area PA while the portionof the central insulating layer 220 is partially separate (e.g., spaced)from the central insulating layer 220 formed in the central area CA.

The central insulating layer 220 may include one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA refers to an area around the cutting line CL andis arranged at edges of the substrate 201 along the cutting line CL.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

A first insulating layer 211 is disposed between the substrate 201 andthe insulation pattern IP and the groove GV. That is, in the peripheralarea PA, the first insulating layer 211 is formed on the substrate 201,and the insulation pattern IP and the groove GV are formed on the firstinsulating layer 211. The first insulating layer 211 may be formed ofone or more of various suitable insulating materials known to thoseskilled in the art, and in this regard, all of (or at least one of)materials that are described in the previous embodiment may be used.

In an embodiment, due to the first insulating layer 211, a top surfaceof the substrate 201 is not exposed in the peripheral area PA. That is,the first insulating layer 211 may be formed to be extending to thecutting line CL of the substrate 201.

However, one or more embodiments of the present invention are notlimited thereto, and the first insulating layer 211 may not cover thetop surface of the substrate 201 in a portion of the peripheral area PA.

In an embodiment, the first insulating layer 211 may extend to thecentral area CA. Also, the first insulating layer 211 may be disposedbetween the substrate 201 and the central insulating layer 220.

The insulation pattern IP may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable materials known to those skilled in the art. For example, theinsulation pattern IP may be formed of an inorganic or organic material.In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP may be formed from the samematerial or substantially the same material as at least one ofinsulating materials that may be formed in the central area CA of thesubstrate 201.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP may be formed from the samematerial or substantially the same material as the central insulatinglayer 220. By doing so, the insulation pattern IP and the centralinsulating layer 220 may be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the central insulatinglayer 220 may be formed of an inorganic material.

The groove GV is located between the insulation pattern IP and thecutting line CL of the substrate 201. The groove GV is located adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 201, and the insulation patternIP is separate (e.g., spaced) from the cutting line CL of the substrate201. Also, another groove GV is formed between the insulation pattern IPand the central insulating layer 220.

The features of the groove GV and the insulation pattern IP are the sameor substantially the same as those described in the previous embodiment,and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here. In anembodiment, although not illustrated, a plurality of insulation patternsIP may be arranged in one direction, e.g., a width direction (along anX-axis direction of FIG. 10) of the insulation pattern IP. That is, oneor more of the structures shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may be applied to thedisplay apparatus 2000.

Although not illustrated, in addition to the first insulating layer 211,at least one insulating layer (not shown) may be further disposedbetween the substrate 201 and the insulation pattern IP and the grooveGV, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The at least one insulating layer may beformed of one or more of various suitable insulating materials known tothose skilled in the art, e.g., an inorganic material.

FIG. 12 illustrates a modified example of the portion E of FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 12, an insulation pattern IP is not a single layer butincludes multiple layers including a first layer IPa and a second layerIPb. The first layer IPa is formed on the first insulating layer 211,and the second layer IPb is formed on the first layer IPa. The firstlayer IPa and the second layer IPb are formed of one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an organic or inorganic material.

In an embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb may beformed of the same or substantially the same material.

In an embodiment, the central insulating layer 220 may be formed to beextending from the central area CA to a portion of the peripheral areaPA. In another embodiment, a portion of the central insulating layer 220may be formed at a portion of the peripheral area PA while the portionof the central insulating layer 220 is partially separate (e.g., spaced)from the central insulating layer 220 formed at the central area CA.

The central insulating layer 220 may include one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an inorganic material.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP may be formed from the sameor substantially the same material as the central insulating layer 220.By doing so, the insulation pattern IP and the central insulating layer220 may be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the central insulatinglayer 220 may be formed of an inorganic material.

In more detail, the central insulating layer 220 includes the firstcentral insulating layer 221 and a second central insulating layer 222.The first layer IPa of the insulation pattern IP may be formed from thesame material or substantially the same material as the first centralinsulating layer 221, and the second layer IPb may be formed from thesame material or substantially the same material as the second centralinsulating layer 222.

By doing so, the first layer IPa and the first central insulating layer221 may be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed, and the secondlayer IPb and the second central insulating layer 222 may beconcurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

Also, in an embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb maybe concurrently (or simultaneously) formed. In another embodiment, whenthe first layer IPa and the second layer IPb are concurrently (e.g.,simultaneously) formed, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb maybe concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed with the first centralinsulating layer 221 and the second central insulating layer 222.

Referring to FIG. 12, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb havethe same width or substantially the same width. However, the presentinvention is not limited thereto, and the first layer IPa and the secondlayer IPb may have different widths, and a portion of a top surface ofthe first layer IPa may not be covered by the second layer IPb.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the substrate 201 is formed as a singlelayer, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As in theembodiment of FIG. 6, the substrate 201 may not be formed as the singlelayer but may be formed as multiple layers including a first layer (notshown), a second layer (not shown), and an insertion layer (not shown).The features of the first layer, the second layer, and the insertionlayer are the same or substantially the same as those described withreference to FIG. 6, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

FIG. 13 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 3000 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 illustrates amagnified view of a portion F of FIG. 13.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the display apparatus 3000 according tothe present embodiment includes a substrate 301. The substrate 301 mayinclude one or more of various suitable materials known to those skilledin the art. Detailed examples of the various suitable materials of thesubstrate 301 are the same or substantially the same as those describedin the previous embodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof areomitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 3000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 3000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 301. FIG. 13 illustrates one display apparatus 3000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 301 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 301, i.e., four edges of the substrate 301shown in FIG. 13, may be cutting lines CL. In an embodiment, one, two,or three of the four edges of the substrate 301 may be cutting lines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 3000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 301 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus3000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 301 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 301, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may include at least one display device (notspecified in FIG. 13), e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, aplurality of pixels may be disposed in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 13) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 13) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 13) may be disposed in the pad area.

In an embodiment, at least one insulating layer (not specified in FIG.13) may be formed in the central area CA so as to prevent substantiallyprevent moisture or impurities from penetrating into the displayapparatus 3000 via the substrate 301. For example, the at least oneinsulating layer may include an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA refers to the area around the cutting line CL andis arranged in edges of the substrate 301 along the cutting line CL.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

A plurality of the insulation patterns IP that are separate (e.g.,spaced) from each other may be formed. That is, the plurality of theinsulation patterns IP may be arranged in a direction that crosses adirection toward the display area DA from the cutting line CL that isthe edge of the substrate 301. Here, a separation area SA may existbetween the plurality of the insulation patterns IP, and may correspondto the groove GV.

Although not illustrated, a first insulating layer (not specified inFIG. 13) is disposed between the substrate 301 and the insulationpattern IP and the groove GV.

The first insulating layer is the same or substantially the same as thatis described in the previous embodiment, and thus detailed descriptionsthereof are omitted here.

The groove GV is located between the insulation pattern IP and thecutting line CL of the substrate 301. The groove GV is located adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 301, and the insulation patternIP is separate from the cutting line CL of the substrate 301.

Although not specifically illustrated, one or more of the structuresshown in FIGS. 4 through 12 may be applied to the display apparatus3000.

That is, the plurality of the insulation patterns IP may be disposed ina direction (along an X-axis direction of FIG. 14) that crosses adirection (a Y-axis direction of FIG. 14) in which they are currentlyarranged.

Also, a plurality of insulating layers (not specified in FIG. 14) may bedisposed between the substrate 301 and the insulation pattern IP and thegroove GV. Also, the insulation pattern IP may not be formed as a singlelayer but may be formed as multiple layers.

In an embodiment, a central insulating layer (not specified in FIG. 14)may be formed to be extending from the central area CA to a portion ofthe peripheral area PA. In another embodiment, a portion of the centralinsulating layer may be formed in a portion of the peripheral area PAwhile the portion of the central insulating layer is partially separate(e.g., spaced) from the central insulating layer formed in the centralarea CA.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the central insulatinglayer may be formed of the same or substantially the same material.

The substrate 301 may be formed as a single layer, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. As in the embodiment of FIG. 6, thesubstrate 301 may not be formed as the single layer but may be formed asmultiple layers including a first layer (not specified in FIG. 14), asecond layer (not specified in FIG. 14), and an insertion layer (notspecified in FIG. 14). The features of the first layer, the secondlayer, and the insertion layer are the same or substantially the same asthose described with reference to FIG. 6, and thus detailed descriptionsthereof are omitted here.

FIG. 15 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 4000 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 illustrates amagnified view of a portion G of FIG. 15, and FIG. 17 illustrates across-sectional view of the portion G, taken along the line XVII-XVII ofFIG. 16.

Referring to FIGS. 15 through 17, the display apparatus 4000 accordingto the present embodiment includes a substrate 401. The substrate 401may include one or more of various suitable materials known to thoseskilled in the art. Detailed examples of the various suitable materialsof the substrate 401 are the same or substantially the same as thosedescribed in the previous embodiment, and thus detailed descriptionsthereof are omitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 4000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 4000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 401. FIG. 15 illustrates one display apparatus 4000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 401 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 401, i.e., four edges of the substrate 401shown in FIG. 15, may be cutting lines CL. In an embodiment, one, two,or three of the four edges of the substrate 401 may be cutting lines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 4000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 401 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus4000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 401 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 401, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not specifiedin FIG. 15), e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a plurality ofpixels may be arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 15) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 15) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 15) may be disposed in the pad area.

In an embodiment, at least one insulating layer (not shown) may beformed in the central area CA so as to prevent or substantially preventmoisture or impurities from penetrating into the display apparatus 4000via the substrate 401. For example, the at least one insulating layermay include an inorganic material.

The peripheral area PA refers to the area around the cutting line CL andis arranged in edges of the substrate 401 along the cutting line CL.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

A plurality of the insulation patterns IP may correspond to a pluralityof island-form patterns, respectively. In an embodiment, each insulationpattern IP may have a curved edge. In another embodiment, eachinsulation pattern IP may have a circular-arc edge, a round edge, or anoval edge.

In an embodiment, the plurality of the insulation patterns IP may beformed as a plurality of island form patterns that are arranged incross-directions.

For example, the plurality of the insulation patterns IP may be arrangedin a direction (along an X-axis direction of FIG. 16) that is parallelto the cutting line CL, and another direction (a Y-axis direction ofFIG. 16) that crosses the direction that is parallel to the cutting lineCL.

A first insulating layer 411 is disposed between the substrate 401 andthe insulation pattern IP and the groove GV. The first insulating layer411 is the same or substantially the same as that described in theprevious embodiment, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omittedhere.

The groove GV is located between the insulation pattern IP and thecutting line CL of the substrate 401. The groove GV is located adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 401, and the insulation patternIP is separate (e.g., spaced) from the cutting line CL of the substrate401.

The grooves GV are formed between the plurality of island-forminsulation patterns IP, respectively. By doing so, the grooves GV widelyextend (e.g., widely extend in a predetermined area), so that crackpropagation via the substrate 401 may be efficiently blocked orsubstantially prevented.

Although not illustrated, one or more of the structures shown in FIGS. 4through 12 may be applied to the display apparatus 4000.

Also, a plurality of insulating layers (not specified in FIG. 17) may bedisposed between the substrate 401 and the insulation pattern IP and thegroove GV. Also, the insulation pattern IP may not be formed as a singlelayer but may be formed as multiple layers including a first layer IPa(not specified in FIG. 17) and a second layer IPb (not specified in FIG.17).

In an embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb may beformed of the same or substantially the same material.

In an embodiment, a central insulating layer (not specified in FIG. 15)may be formed to be extending from the central area CA to a portion ofthe peripheral area PA. In another embodiment, a portion of the centralinsulating layer may be formed in a portion of the peripheral area PAwhile the portion of the central insulating layer is partially separate(e.g., spaced) from the central insulating layer formed in the centralarea CA.

In an embodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the central insulatinglayer may be formed of the same or substantially the same material.

While the substrate 401 is formed as a single layer, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. As in the embodiment of FIG. 6, thesubstrate 401 may not be formed as the single layer but may be formed asmultiple layers including a first layer (not specified in FIG. 17), asecond layer (not specified in FIG. 17), and an insertion layer (notspecified in FIG. 17). The features of the first layer, the secondlayer, and the insertion layer are the same or substantially the same asthose described with reference to FIG. 6, and thus detailed descriptionsthereof are omitted here.

FIG. 18 illustrates a modified example of the portion G of FIG. 17.

Referring to FIG. 18, the portion G includes a conductive pattern MT.The conductive pattern MT may be a pad unit. The conductive pattern MTis disposed in the groove GV between the plurality of insulationpatterns IP. Here, the conductive pattern MT may be formed to beextending over top surfaces and/or side surfaces of the plurality ofinsulation patterns IP.

FIGS. 19 through 22 illustrate modified examples of FIGS. 3, 11, 18, and21, respectively.

That is, the modified examples shown in FIGS. 19 through 22 furtherinclude cover layers on the structures of FIGS. 3, 11, 18, and 21,respectively.

Referring to FIG. 19, a cover layer 130 is further formed to cover aninsulation pattern IP. The cover layer 130 may be formed of one or moreof various suitable materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an organic material. In an embodiment, the cover layer 130 may contactthe first insulating layer 111. That is, the cover layer 130 may covergrooves GV.

The cover layer 130 may protect the insulation pattern IP, and may alsoprotect the first insulating layer 111 on the substrate 101.

Although not illustrated, the cover layer 130 may also be applied to oneor more of the structures shown in FIGS. 4 through 8.

Referring to FIG. 20, a cover layer 230 is further formed to cover aninsulation pattern IP. The cover layer 230 may be formed of one or moreof various suitable materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an organic material. In an embodiment, the cover layer 230 may contactthe first insulating layer 211. That is, the cover layer 230 may covergrooves GV.

The cover layer 230 may be formed even in the central area CA and thusmay cover at least a portion of the central insulating layer 220.

Although not illustrated, the cover layer 230 may also be applied to oneor more of the structures shown in FIGS. 12 through 17.

Referring to FIG. 21, a cover layer 430 is further formed to coverinsulation patterns IP. The cover layer 430 may be formed of one or moreof various suitable materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an organic material. In an embodiment, the cover layer 430 may contactthe first insulating layer 411. That is, the cover layer 430 may covergrooves GV.

Also, the cover layer 430 is formed to cover a conductive pattern MT.

Referring to FIG. 22, the cover layer 430 may have a width sufficient tocover the conductive pattern MT. That is, some of the grooves GV may notbe covered by the cover layer 430.

FIG. 23 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 5000 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 illustratescross-sectional views of the display apparatus 5000, taken along thelines XVI-XVI and XV-XV of FIG. 23. For convenience of description, thepresent embodiment will be described with respect to differences fromthe previous embodiments.

The display apparatus 5000 according to the present embodiment includesa substrate 501. The substrate 501 may include one or more of varioussuitable materials known to those skilled in the art. Detailed examplesof the various suitable materials of the substrate 501 are the same orsubstantially the same as those described in the previous embodiment,and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 5000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 5000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 501. FIG. 23 illustrates one display apparatus 5000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 501 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 501, i.e., four edges of the substrate 501shown in FIG. 23, may be cutting lines CL. In an embodiment, one, two,or three of the four edges of the substrate 501 may be cutting lines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 5000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 501 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus5000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 501 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 501, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not shown),e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a plurality of pixels maybe arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 23) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 23) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 23) may be disposed in the pad area.

A first insulating layer 511 is formed on the substrate 501. The firstinsulating layer 511 may be formed in the central area CA and theperipheral area PA. In an embodiment, the first insulating layer 511 maybe formed on the substrate 501, without a separate patterning process.

The first insulating layer 511 may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art. In anembodiment, the first insulating layer 511 may be formed of theinorganic material. For example, the first insulating layer 511 mayinclude oxide, nitride, or oxynitride. In more detail, the firstinsulating layer 511 may include silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), siliconoxide (SiO₂), or silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)). Also, the firstinsulating layer 511 may be formed by using one or more of varioussuitable deposition methods known to those skilled in the art, includinga plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method, anatmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD) method, a low pressure CVD (LPCVD)method, or the like.

A thin-film transistor (TFT) may be formed in the display area DA on thefirst insulating layer 511 and may have an active layer 513, a gateelectrode 560, a source electrode 561, and a drain electrode 562. TheTFT formed in the display area DA functions as a part of a pixelcircuit. The TFT may also be formed in the non-display area. The TFTthat is formed in the non-display area functions as a part of a circuitincluded in the driver.

In the present embodiment, the TFT corresponds to a top gate type TFT inwhich the active layer 513, the gate electrode 560, the source electrode561, and the drain electrode 562 are sequentially formed. However, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, and one or more of varioussuitable types of TFTs including a bottom gate type TFT may be used asthe TFT.

The active layer 513 is formed on the first insulating layer 511. Theactive layer 513 may include a semiconductor material, e.g., amorphoussilicon or polycrystalline silicon. However, the present invention isnot limited thereto, and the active layer 513 may include one or more ofvarious suitable materials known to those skilled in the art. In anembodiment, the active layer 513 may include an organic semiconductormaterial.

In another embodiment, the active layer 513 may include an oxidesemiconductor material. For example, the active layer 513 may includeoxide including a material selected from metal elements of groups 12,13, and 14 including zinc (Zn), indium (In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn),cadmium (Cd), germanium (Ge), and hafnium (Hf), and a compositionthereof.

As described above, the present embodiment may include one or more ofvarious types of TFTs, e.g., a bottom gate type TFT. For example, if theactive layer 513 includes oxide or amorphous silicon, the presentembodiment may include the bottom gate type TFT.

The bottom gate type TFT may have one or more of various suitablestructures known to those skilled in the art. For one example, a gateelectrode may be formed on the first insulating layer 511, an activelayer may be formed on the gate electrode, and a source electrode and adrain electrode may be disposed on the active layer. For anotherexample, the gate electrode may be formed on a substrate, the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode may be formed on the gate electrode,and the active layer may be formed on the source electrode and the drainelectrode. In this case, an insulating layer, e.g., an inorganic layer,may be formed to be adjacent to at least one of the gate electrode, theactive layer, and the source electrode and the drain electrode.

A gate insulating layer 521 is formed on the active layer 513. The gateinsulating layer 521 may be formed as multiple layers or a single layerincluding an inorganic material such as silicon oxide and/or siliconnitride. The gate insulating layer 521 insulates the active layer 513from the gate electrode 560.

In an embodiment, an insulation pattern IP may be formed of the same orsubstantially the same material as the gate insulating layer 521. Also,the gate insulating layer 521 and the insulation pattern IP may beconcurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

The patterned gate electrode 560 is formed on the gate insulating layer521. The gate electrode 560 may be connected to a gate line (notspecified in FIG. 24) that applies an ON signal or an OFF signal to theTFT.

The gate electrode 560 may be formed of a low resistance metal material.For example, the gate electrode 560 may be formed as multiple layers ora single layer including a conductive material including molybdenum(Mo), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or Titanium (Ti).

An interlayer insulating layer 522 is formed on the gate electrode 560.The interlayer insulating layer 522 insulates the gate electrode 560from the source electrode 561 and the drain electrode 562.

The interlayer insulating layer 522 may be formed as multiple layers ora single layer including an inorganic material. For example, theinorganic material may be metal oxide or metal nitride, in more detail,the inorganic material may include silicon oxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride(SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titaniumoxide (TiO₂), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), or zirconiumoxide (ZrO₂).

The source electrode 561 and the drain electrode 562 are formed on theinterlayer insulating layer 522. Each of the source electrode 561 andthe drain electrode 562 may be formed as a single layer or multiplelayers including a highly conductive material.

The source electrode 561 and the drain electrode 562 are formed tocontact the active layer 513.

A passivation layer 570 is formed on the source electrode 561 and thedrain electrode 562 so as to cover the TFT.

The passivation layer 570 may remove a step caused by the TFT, provide aplanarized layer over the TFT, and thus may prevent or reduce occurrenceof a defective OLED due to unevenness caused by the TFT. The passivationlayer 570 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layers includingan organic material. The organic material may include polymerderivatives having commercial polymers such as Polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) or Polystylene (PS), and a phenol group, an acryl-based polymer,an imide-based polymer, an arylene ether-based polymer, an amide-basedpolymer, a fluorine-based polymer, a p-xylene-based polymer, avinylalcohol-based polymer, or a combination thereof. Also, thepassivation layer 570 may be formed as a multi-stack including aninorganic insulating layer and an organic insulating layer.

A cover layer (not specified in FIG. 24) in the previous embodiments maybe applied to the display apparatus 5000, and in this case, the coverlayer and the passivation layer 570 may be formed of the same orsubstantially the same material.

An OLED 580 is formed on the passivation layer 570. The OLED 580 iselectrically connected to the TFT.

The OLED 580 includes a first electrode 581, a second electrode 582, andan intermediate layer 583 disposed between the first electrode 581 andthe second electrode 582.

The first electrode 581 is electrically connected to one of the sourceelectrode 561 and the drain electrode 562. Referring to FIG. 24, thefirst electrode 581 may be electrically connected to the drain electrode562.

The first electrode 581 may have one or more of various suitable forms.For example, the first electrode 581 may be patterned as an island form.

The first electrode 581 may be formed of one or more of various suitablematerials known to those skilled in the art. That is, the firstelectrode 581 may include at least one selected from the group oftransparent conductive oxide materials including indium tin oxide (ITO),indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In₂O₃), indiumgallium oxide (IGO), and aluminum zinc oxide (AZO). Also, the firstelectrode 581 may include metal such as silver (Ag) having highreflectance.

The intermediate layer 583 may include an organic emission layerincluding a small molecular organic material or a polymer molecularorganic material. In an embodiment, the intermediate layer 583 includesthe organic emission layer and may further include one or more layersselected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a holetransport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injectionlayer.

The organic emission layer may be formed in each of OLEDs. In this case,the OLEDs may emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively.However, one or more embodiments of the present invention are notlimited thereto, and the organic emission layer may be commonly formedin the OLEDs. For example, a plurality of organic emission layers thatemit red light, green light, and blue light may be vertically stacked ormixed and thus may emit white light. As those skilled in the art wouldrecognize, color combination for emitting white light is not limited tothe aforementioned description. In this case, a color conversion layeror a color filter may be separately arranged to convert the emittedwhite light to another color (e.g., to a predetermined color).

The second electrode 582 may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable conductive materials known to those skilled in the art. Forexample, the second electrode 582 may be formed as multiple layers or asingle layer including at least one of lithium (Li), calcium (Ca),lithium fluoride (LiF), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), andan alloy including at least two of these materials.

A pixel-defining layer 572 is formed on the passivation layer 570. Inmore detail, the pixel-defining layer 572 is formed while not coveringan area (e.g., a predetermined area) of the first electrode 581, theintermediate layer 583 is formed on the area (e.g., the predeterminedarea) of the first electrode 581 that is not covered by thepixel-defining layer 572, and the second electrode 582 is formed on theintermediate layer 583.

The pixel-defining layer 572 may be formed of at least one inorganicinsulating material selected from the group consisting of polyimide,polyamide, an acryl resin, benzocyclobutene, and a phenol resin by usinga spin coating method.

In an embodiment, the cover layer in the previous embodiments may beapplied to the display apparatus 5000, and in this case, the cover layerand the pixel-defining layer 572 may be formed of the same orsubstantially the same material.

Although not illustrated on the second electrode 582, in an embodiment,a functional layer (not specified in FIG. 24) may be further formedthereon. The functional layer may include a plurality of layers formedon the second electrode 582. In this regard, at least one layer of thefunctional layer may protect the second electrode 582 when anencapsulation member is formed later, and another layer of thefunctional layer may improve an efficiency of visible light that isdischarged from the intermediate layer 583 to the second electrode 582.

Also, on the second electrode 582 (or, on the functional layer, if thefunctional layer is formed), the encapsulation member may be furtherformed to prevent or substantially prevent external moisture and airfrom penetrating into the OLED 580. The encapsulation member may be athin film having a structure in which an inorganic layer includingsilicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx) and an organic layerincluding epoxy or polyimide are alternately stacked. However, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, and the encapsulation membermay include a layer formed of a low melting glass.

The present invention is not limited to the structure, and theencapsulation member formed of one or more of various suitable materialsknown to those skilled in the art, may be formed on the OLED 580.

A groove GV that is adjacent to the cutting line CL of the substrate 501and is arranged in the peripheral area PA of the display apparatus 5000prevents or reduces a crack that propagates from an edge of thesubstrate 501. For example, the groove GV that is adjacent to thecutting line CL of the substrate 501 prevents or reduces propagation ofa crack that may occur on the substrate 501 when each display apparatus5000 is cut and separated from the mother substrate.

The insulation pattern IP is adjacent to the groove GV that is adjacentto the cutting line CL of the substrate 501, and thus secondly preventsor reduces the propagation of the crack. Also, the insulation pattern IPmay improve durability of the peripheral area PA. In particular, whenthe substrate 501 is formed of a flexible material and thus the displayapparatus 5000 has flexibility, the insulation pattern IP mayefficiently protect the peripheral area PA while a curving or bendingmotion occurs at the peripheral area PA.

Also, the insulation pattern IP and an insulating layer of the centralarea CA may be formed of the same or substantially the same material. Inan embodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the gate insulating layer521 in the display area DA may be formed of the same or substantiallythe same material, or in another embodiment, the insulation pattern IPand the gate insulating layer 521 may be concurrently (e.g.,simultaneously) formed, so that the insulation pattern IP may beconveniently formed, and thus a separate patterning process using a maskmay not be added.

Although it is described that the insulation pattern IP and the gateinsulating layer 521 are concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. That is, the insulationpattern IP and another insulating layer, i.e., the interlayer insulatinglayer 522, may be formed of the same or substantially the same material.

The present embodiment may include one or more of various suitable typesof TFTs, and in this regard, the insulation pattern IP may be formed ofthe same or substantially the same material as an insulating layer ofthe TFT, the insulating layer being adjacent to one of an active layer,a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. In anembodiment, the insulation pattern IP and the insulating layer of theTFT may be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed.

FIG. 25 illustrates a modified example of the display apparatus 5000 ofFIG. 24. For convenience of description, the present embodiment will bedescribed with respect to differences from the previous embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 25, similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 12, thedisplay apparatus 5000 has an insulation pattern IP that is not formedas a single layer but is formed as multiple layers including a firstlayer IPa and a second layer IPb.

The first layer IPa is formed on a first insulating layer 511, and thesecond layer IPb is formed on the first layer IPa. The first layer IPaand the second layer IPb may be formed of one or more of varioussuitable insulating materials known to those skilled in the art, e.g.,an organic material or an inorganic material.

In an embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layer IPb may beformed from the same or substantially the same material as the centralarea CA, in more detail, a gate insulating layer 521 and an interlayerinsulating layer 522 formed in the display area DA.

In the described embodiment, the first layer IPa and the second layerIPb, and the gate insulating layer 521 and the interlayer insulatinglayer 522 may be concurrently (e.g., simultaneously) formed, so that theinsulation pattern IP may be conveniently formed, and in particular, aseparate patterning process using a mask may not be added.

Although not illustrated, the modified example of the display apparatus5000 of FIG. 24 may include one or more of various suitable structuresother than the structure shown in FIG. 25. That is, the insulationpattern IP of FIG. 3, the first insulating layer 111 and the secondinsulating layer 112 of FIG. 4, the stack-type substrate 101 of FIG. 6,the insulation pattern IP of FIG. 8, the insulation pattern IP of FIG.14, the insulation pattern IP of FIG. 16, or at least one of thestructures shown in FIGS. 18 through 22 may be used as the modifiedexample of the display apparatus 5000 of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 illustrates a plan view of a display apparatus 6000 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27 illustrates amagnified view of a portion K of FIG. 26.

FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate a corner area of the display apparatus 6000.The structure shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 may be applied to all of thedisplay apparatuses 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000, and the modifiedexamples thereof.

The display apparatus 6000 may include a substrate 601. Detailedexamples of various suitable materials of the substrate 601 are the sameor substantially the same as those described in the previousembodiments, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

A plurality of the display apparatuses 6000 may be formed on a mothersubstrate, and may be separated into each display apparatus 6000 in amanner that the mother substrate is cut along cutting lines CL of thesubstrates 601. FIG. 26 illustrates one display apparatus 6000 that iscut along the cutting line CL and thus is separated. Thus, an edge ofthe substrate 601 is defined by the cutting line CL.

All edges of the substrate 601, i.e., four edges of the substrate 601shown in FIG. 26, may be cutting lines CL. In an embodiment, one, two,or three of the four edges of the substrate 601 may be cutting lines CL.

That is, according to a size and/or shape of the mother substrate and/ora number, shapes and sizes of the substrates to be produced therefrom, aposition or the number of edges from among all edges of the displayapparatus 6000 that are determined as a cutting line CL may vary.

The substrate 601 is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, thecutting line CL may not exist. In more detail, one display apparatus6000 may be formed on a mother substrate, and in this case, thesubstrate 601 may correspond to the mother substrate, so that thecutting line CL may not exist. In this case, the peripheral area PA mayrefer to an area adjacent to an edge of the substrate 601, and thecentral area CA may refer to an area that is inwardly positioned,compared to the peripheral area PA. For convenience of description, itis assumed that the cutting line CL exists in embodiments to bedescribed below.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not shown),e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a plurality of pixels maybe arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 26) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 26) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 26) may be disposed in the pad area.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

The insulation pattern IP includes first direction insulation patternsIPL that extend along a first direction, and second direction insulationpatterns IPW that extend along a second direction that crosses the firstdirection. Each first direction insulation pattern IPL is connected toeach second direction insulation pattern IPW.

In an embodiment, each first direction insulation pattern IPL and eachsecond direction insulation pattern IPW may be formed to surround thedisplay area DA.

That is, the first direction insulation patterns IPL may be connected tothe second direction insulation patterns IPW, respectively.

In an embodiment, each first direction insulation pattern IPL and eachsecond direction insulation pattern IPW may have a lengthwise extendedshape and may be connected to each other at their ends. By doing so, thefirst direction insulation patterns IPL and the second directioninsulation patterns IPW may have a polygonal shape, e.g., a quadrangularshape.

In an embodiment, the first direction and the second direction may beperpendicular to each other. In an embodiment, the first direction orthe second direction may be parallel to the edge of the substrate 601.

Although not illustrated, a first insulating layer (not specified inFIG. 26) is disposed between the substrate 601 and the insulationpattern IP and the groove GV. That is, in the peripheral area PA, thefirst insulating layer is formed on the substrate 601, and theinsulation pattern IP and the groove GV are formed on the firstinsulating layer.

FIGS. 28 through 32 illustrate modified examples of the portion K ofFIG. 27.

Referring to FIG. 28, an insulation pattern IP includes first directioninsulation patterns IPL that extend along a first direction, and seconddirection insulation patterns IPW that extend along a second directionthat crosses the first direction. The first direction insulationpatterns IPL are connected to the second direction insulation patternsIPW.

Here, at least two first direction insulation patterns IPL may beconnected to one second direction insulation pattern IPW.

In an embodiment, a plurality of the first direction insulation patternsIPL may be connected to the second direction insulation pattern IPW fromamong the second direction insulation patterns IPW which is mostadjacent to (e.g., nearest to) the edge of the substrate 601.

That is, FIG. 27 may illustrate the example in which the number of thefirst direction insulation patterns IPL is equal to the number of thesecond direction insulation patterns IPW, and FIG. 28 may illustrate theexample in which the number of the first direction insulation patternsIPL is greater than the number of the second direction insulationpatterns IPW.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 29, a plurality of first directioninsulation patterns IPL may be connected to a second directioninsulation pattern IPW from among second direction insulation patternsIPW, except for other second direction insulation patterns IPW fromamong the second direction insulation patterns IPW which are adjacent to(e.g., nearer to or nearest to) an edge of the substrate 601. In anembodiment, the plurality of first direction insulation patterns IPL maybe connected to a second direction insulation pattern IPW from among thesecond direction insulation patterns IPW which is most adjacent to(e.g., nearest to) a display area DA.

Although not illustrated, in an embodiment, a plurality of seconddirection insulation patterns IPW may be connected to one firstdirection insulation pattern IPL.

In the embodiment, the plurality of second direction insulation patternsIPW may be connected to a first direction insulation pattern IPL fromamong first direction insulation patterns IPL which is most adjacent to(e.g., nearest to) the edge of the substrate 601.

As another embodiment, referring to FIG. 30, an insulation pattern IPincludes first direction insulation patterns IPL that extend along afirst direction, and second direction insulation patterns IPW thatextend along a second direction that crosses the first direction. Thefirst direction insulation patterns IPL are connected to the seconddirection insulation patterns IPW.

Here, all of the first direction insulation patterns IPL may beconnected to one second direction insulation pattern IPW. In anembodiment, all of the first direction insulation patterns IPL may beconnected to a second direction insulation pattern IPW that is mostadjacent to (e.g., nearest to) a display area DA. By doing so, all ofthe second direction insulation patterns IPW, except for the seconddirection insulation pattern IPW, may be separate (e.g., spaced) fromthe first direction insulation patterns IPL.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 31, all of second direction insulationpatterns IPW may be connected to one first direction insulation patternIPL. In an embodiment, all of the second direction insulation patternsIPW may be connected to a first direction insulation pattern IPL that ismost adjacent to (e.g., nearest to) a display area DA. By doing so, allof first direction insulation patterns IPL, except for the firstdirection insulation pattern IPL, may be separated (e.g., spaced) fromthe second direction insulation patterns IPW.

Referring to FIG. 32, an insulation pattern IP includes first directioninsulation patterns IPL that extend along a first direction, seconddirection insulation patterns IPW that extend along a second directionthat crosses the first direction, and connection insulation patternsIPC. The connection insulation patterns IPC connect the first directioninsulation patterns IPL and the second direction insulation patternsIPW.

In an embodiment, the connection insulation patterns IPC are notparallel to the first direction and the second direction. A part atwhich each first direction insulation pattern IPL and each seconddirection insulation pattern are connected to each other has an obtuseangle. By doing so, it is possible to prevent or reduce a damage of thepart of the insulation pattern IP at which each first directioninsulation pattern IPL and each second direction insulation pattern areconnected to each other.

FIG. 33 illustrates a plan view of a mother substrate MSU used inmanufacturing a display apparatus, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 34 illustrates a magnified plan view of theportion M of FIG. 33, and FIG. 35 illustrates a cross-sectional view ofthe portion M, taken along the line XX-XX of FIG. 34.

Referring to FIGS. 33 through 35, a plurality of cells C1, C2, C3, andC4 are disposed on the mother substrate MSU. The plurality of cells C1,C2, C3, and C4 correspond to a plurality of display apparatuses,respectively.

That is, the mother substrate MSU is cut along cutting lines CL and thusthe plurality of cells C1, C2, C3, and C4 are separated. Afterward, fourdisplay apparatuses are manufactured via subsequent processes.

The mother substrate MSU may include one or more of various suitablematerials known to those skilled in the art. Detailed examples of thevarious suitable materials of the mother substrate MSU are the same orsubstantially the same as those described in the previous embodiments,and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Each of the plurality of cells C1, C2, C3, and C4 of the mothersubstrate MSU is partitioned into a peripheral area PA and a centralarea CA. In more detail, the peripheral area PA refers to an area aroundthe cutting line CL, and the central area CA refers to an area that isinwardly positioned, compared to the peripheral area PA.

The central area CA may include at least one display area DA.

The display area DA may have at least one display device (not specifiedin FIG. 33), e.g., an OLED for displaying an image. Also, a plurality ofpixels may be arranged in the display area DA.

A non-display area (not specified in FIG. 33) may be formed around thedisplay area DA. In more detail, the non-display area may be formed tosurround the display area DA. In an embodiment, the non-display area maybe formed to be adjacent to a plurality of sides of the display area DA.In another embodiment, the non-display area may be formed to be adjacentto one side of the display area DA.

In another embodiment, only the display area DA may be arranged in thecentral area CA. That is, the non-display area may be formed only in theperipheral area PA.

A pad area (not specified in FIG. 33) may be formed in the non-displayarea. In this regard, a driver or a plurality of pad units (notspecified in FIG. 33) may be disposed in the pad area.

The peripheral area PA refers to the area around the cutting line CL,and is arranged in side ends of the mother substrate MSU, along thecutting line CL.

An insulation pattern IP is formed in the peripheral area PA. A grooveGV from which a material for forming the insulation pattern IP isremoved is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern IP.

A first insulating layer 111 is disposed between the mother substrateMSU and the insulation pattern IP and the groove GV. That is, in theperipheral area PA, the first insulating layer 111 is formed on themother substrate MSU, and the insulation pattern IP and the groove GVare formed on the first insulating layer 111.

Referring to FIG. 35, an area of the mother substrate MSU thatcorresponds to the cutting line CL corresponds to the groove GV of thecells C1 and C2, and the insulation patterns IP are disposed with thecutting line CL interposed therebetween. That is, the insulation patternIP of the cell C1 and the insulation pattern IP of the cell C2 aredisposed on opposite sides of the cutting line CL.

In the present embodiment, in order to manufacture the displayapparatus, the mother substrate MSU may be cut along the cutting linesCL. Here, the cutting lines CL correspond to the grooves GV. The groovesGV block or substantially prevent a crack of the mother substrate MSUthat may occur during a cutting process, and prevent or reducepropagation of the crack.

In particular, the grooves GV correspond to a top surface of the firstinsulating layer 111 on the mother substrate MSU. Since the firstinsulating layer 111 is formed in the grooves GV that are adjacent tothe insulation patterns IP, the mother substrate MSU may be efficientlyprotected, and the occurrence and propagation of the crack may beprevented or reduced.

Also, due to the first insulating layer 111, it is possible to preventor substantially prevent the insulation patterns IP from beingdelaminated from the mother substrate MSU.

The insulation patterns IP are adjacent to the grooves GV that areadjacent to the cutting lines CL of the mother substrate MSU and thussecondly prevent or reduce the propagation of the crack. Also, theinsulation patterns IP improve or may improve durability of theperipheral area PA. In particular, when the mother substrate MSU isformed of a flexible material and thus the display apparatus hasflexibility, the insulation patterns IP may efficiently protect theperipheral area PA while a curving or bending motion occurs at theperipheral area PA.

According to the one or more of the above embodiments of the presentinvention, the display apparatus may have improved durability

It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described hereinshould be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to the figures, it will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising a substratecomprising a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the centralarea, the central area comprising a display area, the display apparatusfurther comprising: a first insulating layer on the substrate; aplurality of insulation patterns on the first insulating layer at theperipheral area and extending along a same plane that is substantiallyparallel to the substrate, at least two of the insulation patterns beingspaced apart from each other in a direction from the display area towardan edge of the substrate; at least a groove located adjacent to one ofthe insulation patterns; a thin-film transistor (TFT) at the centralarea of the substrate, the TFT comprising an active layer, the activelayer being directly on the first insulating layer; and a centralinsulating layer at the central area on the substrate, the centralinsulating layer being disposed on or over the first insulating layer,and the central insulating layer being disposed on at least a conductivelayer of the TFT, wherein the insulation patterns directly contact thefirst insulating layer, and wherein a first region of the firstinsulating layer contacting the insulation patterns and a second regionof the first insulating layer contacting the active layer are connected.2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least the groovecomprises a plurality of grooves, and wherein a first one of the groovesis adjacent to all edges of the substrate.
 3. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the insulation patterns are spaced from at least oneedge of the substrate.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst insulating layer is a single layer.
 5. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first insulating layer comprises a plurality ofstacked layers.
 6. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstinsulating layer comprises an inorganic material.
 7. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first insulating layer comprisesoxide, nitride, or oxynitride.
 8. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first insulating layer extends over at least a portion ofthe central area on the substrate.
 9. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first insulating layer extends over at least a portion ofthe display area on the substrate.
 10. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first insulating layer completely covers a top surface ofthe substrate.
 11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstinsulating layer exposes a portion of a top surface of the substrate.12. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation patternsextend lengthwise in parallel to at least one edge of the substrate. 13.The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of theinsulation patterns that are spaced from each other are formed in onedirection, the groove is located between two adjacent ones of theinsulation patterns.
 14. The display apparatus of claim 13, furthercomprising another plurality of insulation patterns formed in anotherdirection that crosses the one direction.
 15. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein at least one edge of the substrate is defined by acutting line.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinsulation patterns comprise multiple layers.
 17. The display apparatusof claim 1, wherein the insulation patterns comprise an inorganicmaterial.
 18. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulationpatterns comprise a central insulation pattern and a peripheralinsulation pattern around the central insulation pattern, and a width ofthe central insulation pattern is different from a width of theperipheral insulation pattern.
 19. The display apparatus of claim 18,wherein the width of the central insulation pattern is greater than thewidth of the peripheral insulation pattern.
 20. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein ones of the insulation patterns have an island pattern.